


Marshmallows can be romantic

by EnlacingLines



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Camping, Cute, Established Relationship, Fluff, I am Lance in this story, M/M, Monthly Klance Prompts July 2019, Prompt Fic, first holiday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-11 12:28:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19928077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnlacingLines/pseuds/EnlacingLines
Summary: “But camping though? Urg.” she shudders.Lance shrugs, a little distracted as he’s stumbled on a crate of old pillows and blankets. Finally, something akin to what he’s been searching for.“I love camping,” he says as he opens the lid and starts sorting through.“Lance, you haven’t been camping since you were ten, you can’t say that!”Lance is invited on a camping trip with his new boyfriend, and is sure he'll love every second of it. Even if it's been a long time since he actually camped.A story for the monthly Klance prompt: camping/’just take my hand’





	Marshmallows can be romantic

**Author's Note:**

> This story is for the July monthly Klance prompt: camping/’just take my hand.’ In which I make Lance the embodiment of my feelings on camping. 
> 
> Huge thanks to my fantastic beta Sara/stormie2817. You are the best, thank you so much for all your help and encouragement with this story! 
> 
> And a thank you to the Klance writers support group for helping me think of titles and generally being a wonderful, supportive and inspiring group. 
> 
> Enjoy reading!

“Camping? Really?” Veronica says as she scrambles over a set of half opened boxes, narrowly avoiding tripping over a suitcase. 

Lance nods, then realises she can’t actually see him. 

“Yeah! Stargazing, marshmallows over a fire, lazy walks through nature. Romantic as hell, and I am the king of romance!” he declares, fishing through what looks to be a box of old colouring books. 

Veronica’s head pops up from around a tower of crates. 

“You think marshmallows are romantic? And aren’t you going as a group?” 

Lance rolls his eyes at his sister, discarding the colouring books and focusing on the next set of boxes before him. Why they have so many things stored away in the garage is beyond him. 

“Marshmallows can be romantic, Ronnie. It’s all about atmosphere. Jeez, this is why you’re still single.” 

A projectile careers towards him and Lance ducks just in time as a plastic fireman’s hat is hurled into the wall instead of his face. At the crash that follows, they both wince, Lance thanking the years of having random things thrown at him by his siblings for sharpening his reflexes. 

“Your aim’s gotten better,” he says, sarcasm clear in the bright tone. 

“Want me to keep going? I’ve found the fancy dress box, by the way.” 

Lance shakes his head, knowing if there’s another crash, his mother will come running. And neither of them want that. 

“And, yes, to answer your question, his friends are going, too. It’s a group camping trip, but my boyfriend invited me, so the romance potential is there.” 

Lance can’t help the sparkle of excitement that trickles through his limbs at the pronouncement, making his movements a little more erratic, his smile all that more giddy. It will be his first trip with Keith; they’ve been dating for just over five months, it’s all still bright in its newness. It will be a moment, a first, one to add to the ever growing list of new experiences, sensations, and emotions they have together. He can’t help but be excited for it. 

Plus, he knows Keith loves camping, and wants to share in something he enjoys so much. It’s also a chance to get to know his friends more. They all seem cool, but Lance only really knows Hunk that well, seeing as he was one to introduce them. All in all, it should be a great few days. 

“Aww, so cute,” Veronica says, and Lance wants to pick up the book before him and hurl it at her. She must sense the urge from across the room, for her teasing tone vanishes. 

“But camping though? Urg.” she shudders. 

Lance shrugs, a little distracted as he’s stumbled on a crate of old pillows and blankets. Finally, something akin to what he’s been searching for. 

“I love camping,” he says as he opens the lid and starts sorting through. 

“Lance, you haven’t been camping since you were ten, you can’t say that!” 

But Lance ignores her as he cries out in triumph, hands pulling at the roll of heavy material, dragging it to the surface. His victory is short-lived, though. As he pulls out the sleeping bag, he sees the threadbare state of the edges, a suspicious looking dark stain at the bottom from whoever last used it, and the slight rusting of the zips. 

“Looks like you’re going to have to buy something after all,” Veronica says with a smirk. 

Lance sighs, dropping down on the sea of blankets and pillows, determinedly pushing the horrific excuse for a sleeping bag away. The whole point of swinging by his parent’s place was to make sure he didn’t have to spend any money on this trip. But then again, Keith camped a lot. Perhaps it was worth investing in things, assuming they would do more of this type of thing together. 

And Lance would definitely like to. It may only have been five months, but Lance knew without a doubt this relationship was good. Had so much potential to be more and long lasting, could already feel himself falling deeper and deeper for Keith. 

And at least this way he doesn’t have to worry about whatever had happened in the sleeping bag when it was last used. Why are his siblings like this? 

“Wanna come shopping?” he says, lifting his head and looking at his sister brightly. 

Veronica pauses for a moment, then smiles with a shrug. “Sure, why not?” 

* * *

Lance loves camping. Has fond memories of it as a child; mostly his brothers trying to race him to the sea, or discovering new caves with Veronica and Rachel. They camped out near the sea, Lance always falling asleep by the fire, only to wake up in his sleeping bag early the next morning.

It’s just...been a few years. Well, a decade and a year since he actually last did it. He’s a little rusty on how it works. They’re camping in the woods as well, a different type of location to his memories. But he’s still confident it will be fine. It’s only for three days, too, so even if it isn’t perfect, he’s sure for a short amount of time, it will all be fine. 

He parks his car by Keith and Allura’s apartment, where they’re setting off from. As soon as he emerges, bag in hand, he’s met by a familiar face standing by the door. 

“Wow, here to greet me as I arrive. What’s the occasion?” he asks with teasing wink, immediately dropping the bag to the ground in favour of winding his arms around Keith’s neck.

Keith huffs but his smile is blinding, so Lance leans in and kisses him, all soft and fond, melting into the sensations. Keith hums against his lips as they move together, still not using words but his actions bursting with enough for Lance to know just how happy he is to see him. 

“Don’t get used to it. Do you have everything?” Keith says, bending down and picking up Lance’s bag, ignoring his protests as they walk together towards Allura’s car. 

She waves as he approaches, excitement in her every move, hair piled high on her head. She takes Lance’s bag and adds it to the equipment in the car.

“Good morning, Lance. It’s so lovely you’re joining us,” she says, smiling brightly. Her tone is true and genuine. Lance feels a little more at ease to see Keith’s friends also happy to have him join the group. 

“Hey, and great to be here,” he says. 

“I think we’re ready now. You guys get in, I’ll just finish locking up,” Allura says before turning back to their apartment.

Lance looks back to Keith as she leaves. Keith smiles, then darts forward, pressing a kiss to Lance’s cheek. Lance feels his face heat; Keith is not usually the first to initiate affection, so each time it happens, it always sends him spinning no matter how fleeting the contact. 

“Thank you for coming. I really love this site. I wanted to show you it. I used to camp here a lot as a kid.” 

Lance nods, closing the space between them to brush the hair out of Keith’s eyes and place a lingering kiss on his forehead. Keith sighs, hands coming around Lance’s back, keeping him in place. Lance knows Keith’s childhood was hardly full of happy moments. The few good memories he has are precious, and him wanting to share them with Lance means so much, more than his vocabulary can express. 

There’s a bang from the car window, and they both jump at the sound. Lance glares as he sees Pidge, Hunk’s roommate, grinning maniacally, having thumped the glass. 

“Allura will kill them if she sees that again,” Keith mutters, but they get the message, breaking apart with reluctance and joining Hunk and Pidge in the car. 

Lance greets Hunk with a fist bump, and within a few moments, Allura returns and they are on the road. Lance makes sure to cuddle up closely to Keith, partly for the contact and partly just to make Pidge annoyed. Revenge for the disturbance earlier. 

The campsite is beautiful. The greenery is lush and sprawling, and the carpark fairly empty, meaning they have their pick of camping spots once they unload. They are just before the beginning of the season, seeing as they are college students and have the time, so there are less people around. Keith and Allura take point with this, finding somewhere far enough away from the shower blocks to make it feel like they are truly away from civilisation, without actually having to walk miles. 

He’s sharing a tent with Keith, who assembles the whole thing within seconds; Lance agape at the speed and precision. Allura and Hunk moved similarly, all three apparently keen campers who do this regularly. Pidge seems to struggle a little, having Keith helping them finish before they set off on their first hike. 

First hike. So not exactly what Lance was expecting. 

“Did you bring boots?” Keith asks as they change from their travelling casual clothing to walking gear. 

Lance glances over at the shoes he’s just pulled out. They’re sturdy and comfortable, but not exactly walking boots. 

“No, but these will be fine. I’ve walked in them loads,” he says with a smile. 

Keith looks concerned, then digs through his own bag before handing Lance a pair of thick walking socks. 

“At least put these on,” Keith says, sending him another worried glance before exiting the tent. Lance frowns; it’s mild out, good weather predicted for the three days they’ll be here. But since Keith asked, he slips them on and then ties up his shoes. 

Turns out, there is a reason for his concern. 

Two hours in and his feet are killing him. He’s moved from walking near the front, swinging his and Keith’s joint fingers together, to the back of the group with Pidge, who looks about as miserable as he feels. Lance stumbles a bit on the forest floor as they crest a hill, Keith and Allura swearing the view is particularly fantastic at this point. 

“I was fine with the first hour, but this is too long,” Pidge murmurs from next to him and Lance makes a noise of agreement. 

“I have blisters. Like, not even feet anymore, it’s just one giant blister,” Lance moans. Pidge sends him a disgusted look, but, thankfully, they’ve reached the summit. 

And it is beautiful; away from the city the air is clearer than anything Lance has felt in so long, and there are so many different shades of green here that he can’t even name them all. They are so high that the horizon is almost infinite, just treetops and blue sky for miles. 

He and Keith sit a little way off from the group, Keith wrapping his arm comfortably around him as they eat, refueling for the trek back. Lance feels as if he could fall asleep here; the sounds of the wildlife, the lulling breeze that filters through the leaves, and the comfortable weight of Keith curling him in. 

“We need to head back soon,” Keith says into his hair, pressing a barely felt kiss. 

“Nooo, I’m comfy,” Lance says in protest, nuzzling into him more. 

Keith laughs, and Lance feels it jostle him, rumble through like the additional bass of a song. He looks up and Keith’s cheeks darken as he glances away slightly. 

“We can cuddle later,” he says before standing abruptly and walking to his pack. 

Lance laughs after him, a bubbling affection that boils over. He loves the moments when Keith realises he can be vocal about affection as they learn to move and feel together. 

The burst of elation keeps him moving a few miles back towards the camp, but soon enough, the pain hits again. He’s almost limping by the time they arrive back, but he’s been pretty careful not to let it show. He thinks Pidge is the only one who does notice thankfully, but it’s a shared feeling of discomfort so at least he’s not alone. 

When he peels off his socks and shoes he grimaces. His feet are a mess, and he’s not sure he can patch them up enough to get them in a good enough state to walk more tomorrow. But he has to try. 

He emerges from the tent, medical supplies hidden under a towel and calls that he’s going to the showers. Keith just gives him a nod and a smile, and Lance knows, despite the pain that jolts his every step, that he’s made the right choice. Keith is far freer here; that little frown that quite often dents his brow removed, he talks more easily and his smiles are frequent. And Lance wants to keep him as carefree as possible for these few days. 

The shower block is painted a crumbling white and Lance eyes it suspiciously as he makes his way to it. The decking before it is slightly damp, that mismatched look when wood is constantly drenched and never properly cleaned. 

Eye twitching, Lance steps inside. It smells a little musty, and only one of the lights works. It seems empty, although the floor beneath his flip flops is damp, so it's obvious it's been used recently. 

There are four stalls, so he decides to check each one before picking.

Each is as grim as the last. 

In all fairness, they aren’t horrific. They just aren’t that clean either, and Lance has a particular hatred for dirty showers. There’s a splattering of mould on the ceiling above each cubicle, dark patches growing and spreading to their heart's delight. There are a few old bottles of product left behind by previous shower users. Hair still caught in the drains. One spider living in a corner. 

Lance shudders, picking the cleanest one he can find. So far, the day is not as delightful as he would have wished. 

* * *

It’s his back that wakes him. A twinge coursing across the lower part, muscles finally deciding they’ve had enough of this hell he’s putting them through. Lance twitches uncomfortably, and stretches out as he slowly regains consciousness, feeling his back pop and his leg muscles twinge. 

Lance grimaces. He’s only twenty one, he shouldn’t be having back pains. He works out, swims several times a week and goes on runs with Keith. But apparently, walking all day wreaks havoc on his muscles, tendons pulling as he wiggles his toes. His back is more of an issue though. He turns and groans audibly, feeling the air mattress shift and dip beneath him. 

And therein is apparently a problem. His body does not enjoy sleeping so close to the floor, and it doesn’t seem as if he blew up his air mattress correctly. Great. Maybe his sister was right; his memories of camping at ten were not to be trusted. 

“Morning.” 

Lance carefully shifts over at the sound of a familiar scratchy voice. He smiles as sleepy, rumpled Keith fills his vision. Keith blinks a few times before shifting closer, climbing onto Lance’s air mattress to snuggle fully into him. Lance sighs happily at the warmness of having Keith in his arms, a feeling that was slowly becoming familiar rather than extraordinary. Secretly, Lance couldn’t wait until it moved from familiar to ordinary, when it became strange to not have this man to wake up with. 

“Hmm, your mattress has deflated a lot, did you sleep okay?” Keith asked, brow furrowing as little as he looked up at Lance. 

In response, Lance back twinges, but he resolutely ignores it. 

“Yup, perfectly fine. Would have been better if you’d stayed like this, though,” Lance says, moving one hand to start brushing through Keith’s hair with his fingers, loosening the snags and knots created overnight. 

“That would definitely have been uncomfortable,” Keith says, but he snuggles in harder, eyes closing again. 

Lance wants to protest that he would most certainly sleep better with Keith curled up into him like this, but he can already hear the sounds of the rest of the group rising, chattering voices and clashing of tins and pans as they start to make breakfast. 

So he just holds Keith, focuses on their twin breathing and the sensations of their resting bodies. Calculates the feel of each of the strands of his hair slipping through his fingers, captures the way he curls his ankles over Lance’s, a gentle tug intertwining them closely. Clocks the beats of their hearts together as the moments tick by, each one as precious as the last. 

But soon, Keith stirs and the bubble is broken. Lance dresses as quickly as possible, wincing as he pushes Keith’s socks over the sores on his feet. They are plastered to high heaven, covered as much as possible; but even with the cushioning, he knows there’s no saving him when his shoes are on. Thankfully, much to Lance's delight, Allura has planned out a shorter route for today as there’s talk of a proper campfire in the evening.

Although, breakfast is some sort of slimy, half-warm bean thing. No one else seems that concerned, but Lance really struggles with the texture. He follows it up with a breakfast bar, the artificial taste not exactly helping but it’s something other than slime, so he goes with it. 

As he feared, his shoes rub the entire trek. Hunk keeps pace with him this time, discussing a movie they plan on seeing next week, but his mind floats back to the pain. It’s muffled, but he thinks it will be quite bad by the end of the day. Although Allura was correct in her assurance that this trail is easier, it’s too late now. Any amount of walking is likely to do damage, seeing how badly they were hurt. 

Something must show in his face or his tone as Keith continuously glances back with a worried expression. So Lance soldiers on, meets every look with a smile and tries to keep pace. He thinks he’s doing well until they need to cross the river. Pidge hops along with a sudden swift grace, keen to be over and done with this part of the trail. Keith goes next, then gestures for Lance to follow. 

It’s not that complex a crossing, but even as he goes, he feels his foot slide on the rocks they must use as a pathway. He steadies himself, shooting Keith a smirk to hide the sudden spike of terror which coursed through him as a result. His shoes don’t have the right grip, so this will be a little challenging. However, Keith just smirks back at him, a challenge if he ever saw one. 

Except it’s not really a challenge when Lance takes one more step, slips, and lands solidly in the river. 

He hears Keith and Hunk call his name in various tones of worry as Pidge yells incoherently and Allura gasps. The river is shallow, but it’s cold. Sends freezing shockwaves through him, arms first as they hit the bottom to stabilize, his elbows bending on impact. His bottom half is immediately soaked as he finds himself sitting in the river, water rushing on without a care. 

“Are you okay? Lance? Sweetheart, take my hand." 

The endearment is new, so new it should be a stepping stone forward of delight, but Lance is wet, embarrassed, cold, and in pain. So it slips right by like a breeze in the darkest night and he just nods, climbing to his feet shakily without Keith’s assistance, partly from the shock of the impact, and partly from the frigid temperature now searing through him. He hugs himself slightly as Keith hovers over him from above, still on the path. Lucky him. 

“Yeah. I’m gonna go back though. Too wet. See you all later.” 

He tries to smile but he isn’t sure of what it turns out like, emotions still flaring in and out. He just wades through the river, too wet to care at this point and clambers up the bank. 

“Lance, are you sure? I’ll come with you,” Allura says instantly as he passes her, hitching her bag up and starting to fall into step with him when he shakes his head adamantly. 

“No, don’t you worry, I know how to get back. You guys should definitely carry on. Seriously. Don’t let me ruin it.” 

With a stern glance in her direction, he moves past and starts on his journey back, only stumbling slightly as he does. He focuses on moving one foot in front of the other as quickly as possible, aware his shaking is increasing with every step. It isn’t too far and he does genuinely know the way. He just wants to hurry and put the disastrous event behind him. 

He feels his vision blur as he walks, eyes burning at the effort. He’s really not as cut out for this as he thought. He brought the wrong shoes, doesn’t enjoy sleeping in a tent or on the ground, and the showers are awful. Now he’s wet and miserable. And from the stinging of his palms, his hands now probably match his feet, shredded to smithereens. 

“Lance!” 

He spins blinking away the few tears which have begun to pool in his eyes as the sound of Keith's feet thunders from the trees, racing towards him. He slows and Lance wipes at his face, but it’s too late. He can tell by the way Keith’s expression falters he’s already seen. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Keith says, striding into his space and cupping Lance’s face carefully. His thumbs catch the few remaining tears. 

Lance shakes his head in his grasp, a little too overwhelmed by the last few moments and Keith lets go, concerned look still in place. 

“Are you hurt? Let me see your hands. You landed pretty hard.”

His voice is soft and coaxing, so much so that Lance wants to sink into it, have it soothe all traces of his feelings away. He sighs before lifting his hands up, looking at them himself for the first time too. 

His initial thought had been correct; the heels of both hands are scraped to varying degrees, his right a little more strongly as it took the impact first. Blood seeps through the lines of cuts and Lance gulps, feeling the pain rise again on seeing the injury. 

Keith makes a hissing sound in sympathy, and cradles both of Lance’s hands in his. The touch makes him break though, a bundle of truth and energy just spilling out without filer. 

“I’m sorry, I’m not..I’m not good at this camping thing. I thought I would be and you love it. I want us to do it together, but I’ve totally messed up! I’m so embarrassed! My shoes are wrong, my feet are so covered in cuts and the grip made me slip. My back hurts from the ground, and I really didn’t actually sleep that well but it was made so much better with you there, and you should definitely sleep in my arms more often. But now I’m so cold and my clothes are done for and the showers are disgusting, Keith it-” 

He’s cut off by Keith’s hands framing his face once again and silencing the remaining sentence with a kiss. The cold and the hurt fades as all he can focus on is the press of Keith's lips against his, imparting warmth and care as it deepens, mouths colliding in the silence of their surroundings. Unconsciously, Lance’s hands move to clutch at his hair, only to hiss and break the kiss as his broken skin ignites in pain,. 

Keith backs away at that, grasping the underside of Lance’s hands carefully once more. He leans in and kisses Lance’s cheek, before looking back at him carefully. 

“Lance, the fact that you wanted to come at all means more than anything. That you want to enjoy this with me, that you spend time with my friends and get involved. It doesn’t matter that you’re not as au fait at this as we are, what counts is how much you like being a part of things that mean something to me. What also matters is that you’re hurt. But I should have told you about the shoes, that was my fault.” 

Lance sighs heavily, leaning into rest their foreheads together. 

“I really do want to be here,” he says, voice small. 

“In general, though, are you having fun?” Keith asks, hand moving to card through Lance’s hair. Lance just nods, and sees Keith’s smile bloom. 

“Then that’s what I care about. Now let’s go get you dry and warm. Then we can go for pancakes.” 

“Pancakes?” Lance says in confusion as they part and Keith slowly leads him away, arm around his waist despite his soaking jacket. 

“There’s a diner a short drive away, and I have Allura’s keys. Just don’t tell Pidge,” he says with a smirk, and Lance laughs, the first real one all morning. 

They stumble on in companionable silence, Keith taking a little of Lance’s weight as they go, Lance’s feet fully protesting now at being both soaked and blistered. 

“And um, I’d like that, too. The sleeping in your arms,” Keith says suddenly, words a little rushed, head turned slightly away so Lance can only see his profile. 

And Lance cannot help but stall them for a few minutes more, peppering Keith’s face with tiny kisses until they’re both giggling and flushed. 

Later, when he’s curled up in a blanket by the fire, Keith stationed behind him, arms encircling him, listening to the group laugh as their marshmallows cook, he decides this camping thing might not be so bad afterall. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is welcome and appreciated!
> 
> For previews and general Klance ramblings, find me on on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/EnlacingL/), [Tumblr](http://enlacinglineswrites.tumblr.com) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/enlacinglines/).


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